


A Moment's Rest

by Paraselene_Spear



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Slight Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24569917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paraselene_Spear/pseuds/Paraselene_Spear
Summary: The two of them had little time left before they all went their separate ways. They make sure to spend whatever time they can spare together.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	A Moment's Rest

The month of March was… tame, considering all they have been through. Stealing hearts, defeating deities, restructuring reality, all of it beyond what normal teenagers should be handling. Makoto figured that, after all this, she and the others deserved some time to themselves. 

Of course, March had come bearing a somber cloud over all of them. They have all grown immensely with their futures being theirs to take. Unfortunately, this would mark the beginning of their separation as they all moved forward with their lives. Though maybe they were always bound to go this way, separated but never alone. Ren had taught them all that after all. 

She smiled at the thought of him.

* * *

It was a quiet night when she entered the homely alley cafe in Yongen. The storefront read “closed,” but she knew through her many excursions that the sign meant they closed for everyone else but her. The place was empty, a sure sign that her secret outings remained that way. 

A secret for most of her friends at least.

“Hey, Queen.” A feline figure lazily lounged on the countertop of the area near the entrance. Makoto placed her hand on the cat’s head which garnered purrs from the prideful being.

“Hello, Morgana. I didn’t know you’d still be here.”

The being gave let out a little _hmph._ “Technically I live here too, you know. A gentleman like me just knows when to give you two your time.”

Her face heated slightly. “Um. Yes, well, we appreciate it very much. Thank you.”

Mona laughed smugly much to her chagrin. The cat jumped off the countertop and onto a table across the way. 

“I don’t know why you two are still keeping this charade up,” he said, pawing at his ear. “The ‘secret relationship’ schtick really wears out after a bit. Not like you two are great at hiding it, either.”

She gave him a half-smile. 

“We just like to keep to ourselves, that’s all,” she defended.

Ren and Makoto’s romantic relationship was one the two had decided to be discreet about amongst the other Phantom Thieves. More for her sake than his, though her significant other didn’t mind. In fact, he seemed to relish the idea of it with how much he had subtly teased her out in the open even in the presence of the others over these past months. The Culture Festival was an egregious example, the memories of her beet-red face still plastered in her mind.

“Hey, I’m not saying everyone knows, but they _know_ ,” Morgana said, the implications clear. “Seems weird to keep trying to hide it.”

He was right, in a sense. Despite her insistence, keeping a relationship between the leader and his second-in-command secret for nearly half a year was difficult. She’d deny it all she could, but the other girls in their group and their knowing smirks had Makoto feeling the jig was up long ago. They didn’t press her, thankfully.

Morgana hopped onto the ground at Makoto’s annoyed silence and ambled towards the exit. She opened the door for him, the cat giving her a nice parting message.

“Have fun! And don’t do _anything_ I wouldn’t do, you hear?”

She may have shut the door a bit too harshly on his tail. Mistakes happen, she supposed.

* * *

Finally alone, Makoto headed for the upstairs attic. With Ren out of confinement and his departure imminent within the next few weeks, the two had taken every chance to spend as much time together before they were to part, this quiet night being no exception. She wondered what the plan was tonight. Another dumb movie to watch and tear apart? Maybe a little game or two of whatever he had in store. Perhaps tonight was a night for the more intimate side of things that she couldn’t think too deeply on for her heart’s health.

As she finally made her way to the top of the steps, however, Ren was slouched over on his work desk, glasses off, eyes closed, head aimed in her direction, yet blissfully asleep.

She carefully discarded any extra layers on her person and placed her bag away to not wake him. Truth be told, she rarely caught the boy unaware, if at all. This was a rare opportunity. 

Unfortunately, a miscalculated step on a creaky floorboard had her target awake faster than she could correct. His eyes slowly opened and a tired smirk settled across his face as he deciphered who had woken him.

“Sneaking up on me, still?” He was out of his seat in a flash, Ren wrapping her arms around behind her and spinning them around as she giggled at being caught. He slowed them to a stop and had his chin atop her head, arms still tight around her. “Hey, you.” 

She was comfortably within his embrace and was reminded once again that every single moment up to this point had been worth it. They rocked slowly back and forth. 

“You looked sleepy,” she said absentmindedly. He hummed, the vibrations making her head tickle.

“Had a lot to do today, surprisingly. We might be saviors of the world or whatever, but those part-time jobs aren’t going to work themselves.” 

She laughed at his ever-present wit, though even she could hear the heavy weariness in his voice. 

Their steady rocking eventually brought them to his bed where he graciously pulled them down to. Lying down close next to each other, he brought his face close to hers, and before she knew it, he had her enveloped in a deep, loving kiss. Moments like these, where it was just two of them, eyes closed, with nothing but their hearts keeping them together had her wondering how she ever lived without this. It was a peace that made her feel as if nothing could stop her because he made her feel so.

At least, it felt that way until his lips she had on hers suddenly opened wide. She opened her eyes at the loss of contact and found Ren turning away as a large yawn overtook him. Makoto watched him rub his eyes clear before sheepishly looking back at her.

“Err, sorry about that.” He looked bashful, an uncommon and _cute_ look for him. 

“It’s okay,” she mumbled, the high of the moment still in her. “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep?”

He sat up as if to challenge the notion. “Not at all. I’ve been looking forward to this all day.” He sat her up and held her close against his chest as he pulled his comforter over them. She was very warm, very comfortable, and very snug with him around her. She sighed in relief.

“What did you have in mind for tonight, then?” she asked him. He gave her a thoughtful hum. 

“I don’t know… we could watch a movie. I still have lots and lots of that cheesy stuff that makes you roll your eyes.” He leaned in closer, his mouth next to her ear as he whispered. “We could always do _other_ activities, too. Learn some more things about each other, you know?”

The way his low voice reverberated throughout her sent shivers down her spine. 

“Oh? What kind of things?”

She waited for him to reply, for him to tease her and bring them back down where they could eventually get intimate, maybe. She waited patiently for whatever suave maneuver she had come to expect from Ren, from Joker.

She waited. Patiently. For anything.

“Um. Ren?”

The weight of his chin on her shoulder lifted. She turned to find him heaving another heavy, exhausted yawn. When he finished and found her looking back at him with a brow arched in amusement, he gave a defeated sigh and moved to leave.

“Fine. Movie it is.”

* * *

The film, as he promised, was unbearably embarrassing to sit through. She wondered how such creations managed to not only get created but turn a profit as well. Their viewing veered from being a fun critique between the two to a viewing that only continued out of some sick morbid curiosity of wondering how this mishmash of cliches and tropes would pan out. 

They lay on their sides, Makoto fit perfectly against Ren, the warmth of him and the comforter being the only thing keeping her sane throughout the movie. They had stopped talking quite some time ago, the film just too strange to put into words between the two of them. 

It wasn’t long before even her limits began to break. With one final joke delivered by the terrible actor on screen, she shook her head and used the remote to shut the movie off.

“Where do you even find these things?” she muttered to him in disbelief. 

She was met with only quiet breathing. As she focused more on the body against her, she noticed the steady rise and fall of his chest pressing against her back and the rhythmic breathing that accompanied it. Understanding hitting her, she smiled a bit mischievously. Using the utmost care, she made calculated, slow movements to turn around and face what she had missed when she arrived.

Ren, as she had come to learn, was an active person. As a leader, something always occupied his mind whether it be tasks to be completed, missions to carry out, or friends to take care of. As a result, he was always on high alert, never giving anyone a glimpse of what he looked like under all the layers of being a notorious Phantom Thief. Everyone except her. 

The first thing she noticed was how small he somehow managed to look. No glasses to frame his face, no mask to cover his identity, and no expression to hide his feelings, Ren looked like a young, fragile boy. Her heart ached at the revelation that after everything he had carried them through, he really was just a young teenager with responsibilities thrust upon him that someone his age or her own should never carry. It showed under his tired eyes, traces of dark circles marring the skin underneath it. 

The next thing she noticed was that his face looked so very _soft._ She brought her hand slowly to rest against his cheek, and she lovingly caressed the sleeping boy. Usually, his eyes were open in adoration for her, but in this quiet moment, she traced gentle circles onto him as she admired what had been hers for quite some time. 

She finally settled on the last fact she had gleaned from his face. Despite everything the world had put him through, unjustly or not, he appeared to be in utter peace. A hint of a small smile was on his lips. The face she was holding was the result of him breaking free of society’s chains and grabbing a hold of his future. And, as she continued to cup the side of his face and his smile grew ever so slightly, her heart filled with a heavy feeling of pride and love in knowing that maybe she helped such a strong person reach this point of bliss. 

Makoto focused on him for quite some time losing track of all the little patterns and traces she had made. Slowly, the eyes of her companion wearily fluttered open and closed. His eyelids barely parted, Ren grabbed the hand on his face.

“‘re you doin’?” he whispered, the sounds coated in sleep. 

“Nothing. Just… looking.”

“Mm.”

He lazily dragged her hand and pressed it against his lips. She watched him struggle to open his eyes before he gave up entirely and shut them.

“Rest, Ren.”

A sound emanated from him that could be described as a whine.

“Wha’bout the movie…” he slurred. 

“ _Shhh... “_ She moved forward and pressed her forehead against his. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Just sleep.”

“Mmm… okay…”

The boy consented and let her rub her hands through his hair to coax him back into slumber. As he was on the verge of dreams, he let out a satisfied hum.

“‘Love you, Makoto... “

Her chest filled with a relaxing, filling warmth, and she softly pressed her lips against his forehead.

“I love you, too.”

She watched him drift off back into sleep. With her duty complete, the warmth inside her washed throughout her body, and she began to doze off as well. Under the cover of night, her thoughts happily melded into incoherent feelings of ethereal joy.

They deserved this moment of rest, after all. 


End file.
